The Long Road Towards Independence, Justice and Peace for the Basque Country

Tuesday, March 09, 2004

Women Rights

Today at Berria:

Beyond the elections

Yesterday thousands of men and women denounced the oppression of women and went out into the street to demand measures to solve the situation; the unions drew attention to discrimination against women in the job market.

The women of the Basque Country publicly demanded their rights. Yesterday’s March 8 demo had a decidedly electoral ring, but beyond politics the citizens highlighted the oppression of women.

BAIONA (Bayonne) - Aitor Renteria

“No one is going to give us our future, we are going to build it with our commitment and work”

About 60 women gathered outside the Baiona City Hall at 6 o’clock yesterday evening for the rally called by LAB and the Baionako Emazte Feministak (Feminists of Baiona). They made their way to the San Andres square behind a banner saying “No discrimination. Equal opportunities. Women’s struggle against sexist violence”. Along the way women shouted to denounce the violence and discrimination that they suffer.

BILBO - Iñigo Bilbao

“The Basque Government disregards our problems and demands”

To mark their day women in Bilbo held a demo of the likes that had not been seen in a long time. No bitter irony was spared when they declared they had every reason to be angry. Most of the demonstrators were women. Men were to be seen but some who are standing in Sunday’s elections stood out. One had to be told “men get to the back” because he had moved to the front.

DONOSTIA (San Sebastian) - Agurtzane Solaberrieta

“Women’s jobs are part-time and poorly paid”

About a thousand people went out onto the Donostia Streets yesterday with the slogan “Onwards, so that machismo won’t bury us” in a march organised by the Feminist Women’s Coordinating group of Gipuzkoa (Bilgune Feminista–Feminist Forum, Medeak, Plazandreok, EHGAM, ELA, LAB, ESK, STEE-EILAS, Hemen eta Munduan, KI). The march started out from the Boulevard just after 19.30 hours and there was a charged atmosphere all along the route.

GASTEIZ (Vitoria) - Luis Karlos Garcia

“If the message of equality had been driven home, we wouldn’t have what we have every day”

It was only three degrees when the Gasteiz march got to the Andra Mari Zuri (Virgen Blanca) square for the closing event, but there was plenty of enthusiasm in the march joined by over 800 people.

The main banner said: “We women move the world”. It was followed by many women of many different ages and ways of thinking: Kontxi Bilbao of EB-IU, Matti Iturralde of AuB, Mari Cruz Vicente of CCOO, Arantza Iturbe of Aralar - Zutik, as well as Alicia Suso the head of the Youth Council or Lourdes Oñederra, the EHU-University of the Basque Country lecturer and author, among others, were present.

IRUÑEA (Pamplona) - Edurne Elizondo

“We can build a society in which women will be free”

A mass rally was organised by the “Martxoaren 8 Batzordea” (March 8 Committee) in Iruñea (Pamplona) with the slogan “Women arise, there are many reasons”. Hundreds of women and men endured the freezing temperatures as they went along the city streets chanting slogans against attacks on women and in favour of women’s rights.